The invention relates to archery in general, and more particularly to an archery practice device usable with or without an archery trigger release allowing an archer to practice the skills of archery without the use of an actual bow.
As is well known by archery professionals, a bow cannot be shot dry, that is without an arrow, because without the weight of an arrow either the bowstring or the bow will break. Since the professional archer likes to shoot at least a hundred shots a day to maintain top form, and the weekend shooter always needs to sharpen his skills, the need has existed for an archery practice device that can be used in the backyard, or in the home. This need is amplified by the limited number of archery ranges available. It would be desirable to have a device that simulates the tension of a compound bow when drawn back while allowing aiming at some distant target, and being able to release the device while calling the shot just as one would on the archery range with an actual bow and arrow.
Several attempts have been made to provide such a device, but have fallen short of providing all the necessary criteria.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,601 issued to Cobelli discloses an archery trainer and exercise device having a handgrip, an elastic cord connected to the handgrip, and a sighting rod extending upward from the handgrip. Although such a device is effective at exercising the necessary muscle groups for proper archery techniques, it does not provide for releasing the extended elastic cord in simulation of shooting an arrow with a compound bow. It is readily apparent that if the elastic cord of the Cobelli reference were released suddenly, as in the motion required for shooting an arrow, the elastic cord would snap toward the archer's hand holding the training device and possibly cause injury. Also, the Cobelli device would not accommodate the use of an archer's trigger release.
Another archery exercising device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,191 issued to Remme which has a continuous loop of slow recovery elastic belting passing through a tubular grip at one side, and through a string block or rod at the other side. The string block is provided with a means for attaching a bowstring simulator. For similar reasons as Cobelli, the Remme device provides a good source of strengthening the muscle groups used in drawing and holding a bow, but does not provide any means for a quick release to simulate the shooting of an arrow from a bow while maintaining the target within a sight.
It would be desirable to have a device that not only strengthens the muscle groups used in archery, but also provide for releasing while concentrating on sighting the target within the bow sight, and capable of using an archer's trigger release.